Ottawa

Elizabeth May: It’s going well, I think

From Anne Kingston’s dynamite profile of the party and its leader in this peculiar post-election moment,  which adorns our current print issue:

May admits it has been a learning experience, but blames the press for misquoting her: “The media tends to spin and distort what I said,” she says. She also expressed frustration with her own party post-election, after an email her daughter, Victoria Cate, sent to several candidates in Ontario and Quebec was posted on emaygoway.ca. The 17-year-old, who campaigned with her mother, asked candidates for their input on how a Harper victory could be prevented: “If you are at all willing to consider measures that could be taken to ensure that our Prime Minister is not a man who believes Kyoto is a socialist plot, I would be grateful for your thoughts and your suggestions,” she wrote, noting: “I feel we have a moral obligation not only to advance the best solutions and ideas, but also to espouse the values of meaningful progress over political gains.” The language seems to suggest candidates either drop out or concentrate on working against the Tories to avoid splitting votes.

Jacoby-Hawkins, who received the note, was surprised by it. It came amid talk of two Green candidates in Quebec throwing their support behind Liberals. After a short email exchange with Victoria May, he continued his strategy to target “small c” conservative voters unhappy with Harper. In an email to candidates and organizers May vented her anger that the email had been posted on the Internet: “Using my daughter’s emails against me is so low I wonder what party I am in,” she wrote. After learning that Maclean’s had inquired about her daughter’s email, May sent a lawyer’s letter threatening legal action should any story suggest that she had ghostwritten it. She says the email was written without her knowledge or permission and refuses to discuss it. “It’s none of your business,” she said to Maclean’s. “My daughter is not part of your story.”

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.